Study on chemical compositions and antibacterial activity of the volatile oil from Dalbergiae odoriferae

The volatile oil from the heartwood of Dalbergiae odoriferae T. Chen was extracted by hydrodistillation in a Clevengertype apparatus, and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of sixteen compounds, constituting over 98.04% of the total oil, were identified from the volatile oil. The major components of volatile oil were caryophyllene oxide (54.22%), 7,11-dimethyl-10-dodecen-1-ol (14.11%), 6,11-dimethyl-2,6,10-dodecatrien-1-ol (10.24%) and nerolidol (10.22%). In addition, antibacterial activity of the volatile oil was evaluated. The oil showed activity against S. aureus and MRSA.